FC Barcelona once again climbed to the top of the EA Sports LaLiga table after a display of goals and good play against Real Sociedad. Imanol’s team, however, was disrupted by a sending off for Elustondo in the 16th minute, which left them a man down for an hour. That was the end of the game and Hansi Flick’s men took no prisoners: 4-0. Gerard Martín and Marc Casadó scored their first goals for Barça; Lewandowski did not miss his appointment and Aráujo also joined in the party. Three more points and they can start thinking about the Champions League.
Controversial sending off of Elustondo
Two totally opposite scenarios were coming to life on the everlasting mountain of Montjuic. On the one hand, Real Sociedad, who after their recent defeat in the Copa del Rey to Real Madrid, were looking to stay in touch in the European competition, LaLiga. And in a totally opposite scenario, Barça were resuming their particular hunt for the lead, after the midweek battle against Atlético, and with the fresh memory of Real Madrid’s defeat against Betis. And they weren’t going to miss the opportunity.
Although the story began with another scare in the opening minutes. Memories of Vietnam. Real Madrid were in control of the match with an early goal by Sergio Gómez in the 3rd minute but the referee quickly corrected the VAR. Offside at the start of the move by Javi López who, after a pass filtered through Barrenetxea, put it in, the Barça defense missed the clearance, and Sergio Gómez managed to get the shot towards the opposition net. It was worth nothing and the dynamics of the game changed completely.
Not without another scare before that, in the 14th minute, when Óskarsson, completely alone, hit the crossbar; although the play was also correctly ruled out for offside. And in the 16th minute the script ended with a happy ending for Hansi Flick‘s side. Dani Olmo, who was going alone one-on-one with Remiro, saw Elustondo stop him. Red card. The talk shows will discuss whether Javi López was close enough to the play or not; or about the 25 meters remaining to the goal. In any case, the VAR endorsed and Barcelona’s dance began.
Gerard Martín and Casadó make their debut
Barça only needed 9 more minutes to open Remiro’s net. It wouldn’t be the first time in the match. The news was provided by the man making his debut as a starter, replacing Alejandro Baldé. Gerard Martín, after a devilish move down the wing by Lamine Yamal, which culminated in the omnipresent Dani Olmo providing a great assist to the left-footed, born-and-bred Barça player, who scored his first goal in a Barça shirt.
FC Barcelona insisted on burying Murphy’s Law and, in this game, everything that could go right, was going to go better. Because, once again, Dani Olmo, who was looking for the goal in the 28th minute, found a teammate on the way, who, unintentionally, put the ball back into the Real goal. Goal by Marc Casadó. The first also wearing the Barça shirt and after two games banished to the bench by Hansi Flick.
An easy win for FC Barcelona
And it was all plain sailing down Montjuic for Barcelona while Real, totally sunk after Elustondo’s sending off, tried to stay in the game, taking the blows of a far superior fighter with a numerical advantage. The break changed nothing and Araujo soon extended the lead to 3-0. Raphinha, in another of those matches in which it is inevitable to think about arguing about the Ballon d’Or, took the ball from the corner; Lewandowski shot and found Remiro; not so Araújo who shot at will at the rebound.
Araújo himself, minutes later, unwittingly returned the favor to Lewandowski. He shot from the edge of the area and found Lewandowski’s foot, which deflected the ball into the net. 60th minute, 4-0 and half an hour to increase the lead. Jürgen Löw understood this quickly and brought on Eric García, De Jong and Ferran one minute before the fourth. The latter had a chance to increase the score in the 67th minute but failed to score. Everything was already written. Barça gradually stopped pushing the accelerator and slowed down in the final minutes. Three points that make them regain the lead and think about the first leg against Benfica.